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HOUSTON - Texas Republican leaders are calling for an investigation into the federal agent shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Senator Ted Cruz and Rep. Michael McCaul both expressed the need for an investigation on social media.
State leaders call for investigation in Minneapolis shooting
What they're saying:
In a post on X on Monday, Senator Ted Cruz said there needs to be an investigation into the recent shooting in Minneapolis.
"Anytime you have an encounter gone wrong that results in a fatality, there is cause for mourning. There is cause for grief. That was somebody’s mother. That was somebody’s brother or sister or father. That’s a tragedy," said Sen. Cruz on his podcast called Verdict. "At the same time, we can ask what has caused these shootings? What has caused these violent encounters?"
Sen. Cruz noted that Texas hasn't seen the same violent clashes with ICE that are occurring in Minneapolis, saying that's because state and local officials in Texas are cooperating with federal authorities unlike officials in Minnesota, whom he criticized for not doing so.
"In Texas, where you and I both live, there have been anywhere from 6x to 10x as many ICE arrests in Texas as there have been in Minnesota," said Sen. Cruz. "According to 2026 reports, Texas is seeing approximately 60,000 arrests, ICE arrests compared to approximately 10,000 in Minnesota. That’s one estimate. There are numbers that vary."
In a post on X earlier this week, Rep. McCaul also called for an investigation into the shooting incident in Minneapolis.
"I am troubled by the events that have unfolded in Minneapolis. As an attorney and former federal prosecutor, I believe a thorough investigation is necessary—both to get to the bottom of these incidents and to maintain Americans’ confidence in our justice system," said McCaul.
The post continued with McCaul saying he "looked forward to hearing from DHS officials about what happened and how we can prevent further escalation in the future.
On Monday, Governor Greg Abbott spoke on a podcast with Mark Davis blaming democratic officials for not keeping "calm and order" in their communities.
"In general, we need to have respect for law enforcement officers in the country. ICE, they are law enforcement officers. So they, being the White House, need to recalibrate on what needs to be done to make sure that respect is going to be reinstalled," said Governor Abbott.
Gov. Abbott echoed Sen. Cruz's comments, saying Texas sees more ICE activity than Minnesota.
"Texas actually ranks number one for ICE removals, and yet, we don't have fighting and protests like that, and that's because we have leaders that, whether it be the governor, or mayors, or other local leaders, no one is trying to incite violence here in the State of Texas."
The backstory:
Alex Pretti, 37, was killed after being repeatedly shot by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis Saturday morning. He had been taken to the ground, was face down on the street and being detained by several agents when he was shot.
Pretti had a permit to legally carry a firearm, according to Minneapolis Police, and Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino defended the agent who fired his weapon and blamed Pretti for carrying his own loaded 9mm handgun.
Videos of the shooting appeared to show that the man had been disarmed after being taken to the ground and before shots were fired.
The Source: Information was gathered from Senator Ted Cruz's social media and podcast ‘Verdict’, Rep. Michael McCaul social media, a podcast featuring Governor Greg Abbott, and previous FOX 26 reports.